Monthly Archives: September 2009

American culture is disintegrating because many professing Christians have one or more disconnects between their Spiritual Life and their Lifestyle. This series is intended to assist you in identifying any unintended ‘disconnects’ in your worldview and lifestyle.

True Christians Are “New Creations”

Once the Holy Spirit replaces our original sinful heart with a new holy one that has God’s Law written on it, we will begin to demonstrate a lifestyle that conforms to biblical ethics. 1 From the inside out, we have become a “new creation” because our former sinful, and man-honoring behaviors, are gradually being replaced by new, holy, and God-honoring ones. 2 Having received the “Spirit who is from God,” 3 we are, in effect, “an epistle of Christ” 4 as we take God’s gospel and counsel on how to live everywhere we go. Since we are now members of God’s family and Christ’s Kingdom, we should no longer be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” 5

We must not continue to think as we did when we were non-Christians, because “the way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD.” 6 Instead of making daily decisions according to our “sinful wisdom,” 7 we are now able to re-think God’s thoughts because we recognize that it is in “His light that we see light.” 8 Now that “the LORD is our helper,” 9 and has given us the Spiritual gifts we need to carry out our calling, we must do our best to “walk according to them.” 10 In doing so we are confident that “no temptation has overtaken us except such as is common to man,” and that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to escape, or endure. 11

God’s Word Is Both True and Truth Itself

Our new Spiritual heart assures us that “all of God’s Word is true,” 12 and that “there is no wisdom or understanding or counsel” that will prevail against the Lord. 13 This means that we can learn from the various issues that faced people throughout history, which are addressed in the Bible,14 and not have to depend upon our own knowledge in coming up with solutions for the issues we face. 15 In King David’s words: “Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your Law.” 16

The Earth Is Our “Promised Land”

Approximately 3,500 years ago, “the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they each took possession of it and dwelt in it.” 17 As we well know, the ancient Jews didn’t conform their lifestyles to biblical ethics, and were dispersed throughout the world as a consequence for their disobedience. But now “the entire earth has been given to us,” 18 so that we can take dominion of it “from sea to sea … to the ends of the earth.” 19 As a result of our consistent obedience to God’s counsel, “all nations will one day worship” our Lord, Savior and King, Jesus Christ. 20

Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network, Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one’s faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making. Mr. Hanson sits on the Advisory Board of the New Geneva Christian Leadership Academy, located in Appomattox, Virginia. bhanson@graceandlaw.com 205.454.1442 http://www.graceandlaw.com

In Wallbuilders’ recent email update, Mr. David Barton expresses his concern over the Islamic ‘Jummah Prayer Gathering ; A Day of Islamic Unity’, scheduled on Capital Hill, Friday September 25th, 2009, where an estimated 50,000 “Worshipers” will attend. Mr. Barton’s call to Christians is to pray. He says this:

“This call for Christians to pray this Friday is not a prayer “competition” between Christianity and Islam, nor is it a spiritual Christian “jihad” or “holy war” (what an oxymoronic term – a holy war!). After all, in I Kings 18, Elijah encouraged the prophets of the god Baal to take more time in their praying; he didn’t object to their prayers, he just wanted to make sure that he was able to make his own prayers to the True God. This Friday offers a similar opportunity for those who fear God and believe His Scriptures to offer up their own prayers to Him.”

Consider the situation being presented to what seems to be a “Post-Christian America” and a “Post Christian Church”.

Barton writes:

“As nations such as Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands (and many others in Europe) have become more secular, they have demonstrated a willingness to embrace virtually anything – anything except their traditional Christian foundations. In fact, they now regularly repudiate those foundations, promoting abortion, legalizing homosexual marriage, and changing their traditional legal codes. And accepting the falsehood that all beliefs are equal and that truth is relative, they have even been willing to incorporate Islamic Sharia law into their legal codes in order to protect the special practices of some Muslims living among them. This has energized many Muslims in those countries and they are displaying a new boldness that is vocal, visible, and demonstrably assertive.

Each year, nearly 5,000 Muslim “honor killings” occur across the world (a practice whereby parents kill children who allegedly bring “dishonor” on Islam by dating non-Muslims, wearing western garb, converting to another religion, etc.). Dozens of those murders are committed in Europe, but in many of these formerly Christian nations, those who commit the “honor killings” (i.e., the murder of their own children) often go unpunished since the death of their child was “required” by Islamic law (now included in the legal law of the land). Additionally, many public personalities across Europe who criticized Islam have been murdered, causing Parliaments in the Netherlands and other European countries to forbid criticism of Islam in an effort to prevent further murders. These nations, having given up precious ground, are now having difficulty retaking it.

Historically, on this continent Christian America adopted an open free-market approach to all religions from the beginning. American Christians then (and now) were not fearful of other religions. They were confident that Christianity would prevail on its own merits and they therefore followed the Biblical precedent set forth in both the Old and New Testaments of simply presenting God’s word in a straightforward manner, expecting that the Holy Spirit will confirm His word in the hearts of hearers. Christians believe that on a level playing field, Christianity will always prevail through the voluntary choice of the people.

As a result, Christian America welcomed all religions, with Muslims arriving here by 1619, Jews establishing their first synagogue in 1654, and Buddhists, Hindus, and others also being present from the early days. Significantly, only America extended (and continues to extend) a free-market religious tolerance to others while still preserving the core societal values of our Christian heritage. But the culture has begun to shift. The level playing field is being eroded. As in Europe, Christianity is being knocked down and Islam elevated.

For example, a federal court of appeals ruled that public schools in nine western states can require a three week indoctrination to the Islamic faith in which all junior high students must pretend they are Muslims and offer prayers to Allah (students are further encouraged to take Islamic names, call each other by those names, wear Islamic garb, participate in Jihad games, and read the Koran during those three weeks). Yet that very court also ruled that it was unconstitutional for those same students to voluntarily mention “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Likewise, a federal court on the east coast ruled that public schools may display Islamic holiday symbols but not Christian ones. And the University of Michigan recently spent $25,000 of taxpayer money to install foot-washing facilities to accommodate the religious practices of Muslim students but made no similar expenditure on behalf of students from any other religion.

As a result of such actions, many Muslims are exercising a new boldness in America. In fact, Muslim “honor killings” have now arrived in the United States (most recently in Texas); and just a few weeks ago, direct action was taken to prevent the honor-killing of a 17-year old Muslim girl in Ohio who converted to Christianity and, in fear of her life, fled from her parents to Florida.

American Muslims have also enjoyed the direct support of President Obama. In April, he traveled to Egypt where he told the Muslim world that America no longer considers itself a Christian nation. He later traveled to Turkey and announced that America was one of the largest Muslim nations in the world (despite the fact that 78% of Americans claim to be Christians but only 1% claim to be Muslims). Then in May, President Obama refused to invite Christian and Jewish leaders to the White House to participate in the National Day of Prayer (as former presidents have done), but in September, he did invite Muslim leaders to the White House for a special Muslim Ramadan celebration to commemorate Allah delivering the Koran to his prophet Mohammed.

Heartened by this new encouragement, Muslim leaders have called 50,000 observant Muslims to come to the Capitol this Friday, September 25, for a day of Jummah (Friday congregational prayer). The sponsors promise that from 4AM to 7PM, “the Athan [the call given five times each day for Muslims to participate in mandatory prayer] will be chanted on Capitol Hill, echoing off of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and other great edifices that surround Capitol Hill.” The goal of this event is that “the peace, beauty and solidarity of Islam will shine through America’s capitol.” In fact, their website for this unprecedented event proudly and unabashedly declares, “Our Time Has Come!” ”

While prayer is important to the Genesis Mandate of advancing the Crown Rights of King Jesus, diligent and consistent action is the essential component of the Great Commission. This Islamic gathering never would have been allowed if American Christians had not been hiding in the four-walled “Ghetto Church for the past 50 or so years.” The explosive Islamic ‘take-over’ of these united States could never had happened if the American churches had been watchful, and faithful to the Dominion Mandate of Scripture. In fact, even now, many Christians are wondering what is happening, being ignorant of the fact that our nation is under the Judgment of God.

Consider what the LORD has declared:

De 28:15&25 ¶ But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee…The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

I believe it is not too late. It is, however, now or never, for the saints to step up and galvanize together under God, and in ethical conformity to His LAW-WORD, applying that WORD to every area of life, especially to the civil realm. That is the only hope for this nation. If the Christian community fails to heed this call with Biblically based action, she will go into a 21st Century Babylonian Captivity for many generations to come.

Until Christendom realizes that God’s Moral Law, as it is revealed in the Christian Scriptures, is the only standard for every aspect of the societal order, and therefore must regulate every sphere of life, Islam will continue to trod down underfoot the saints of the Most High.

We have witnessed the modernization, and the post-modernization of Christianity, in both the mainline churches, as well as the Reformed churches. Carnality, and worldliness is pandemic in many of these congregations to the degree that they care little for advancing the Kingdom of God in the real world. The result: Islamic Dominion.

The Christian community needs Godly leaders who are absolutely committed to the Crown and Covenant of the Christ. Leaders may be born with God given tendencies toward leadership, yet these qualities must be groomed, and matured. Training is therefore essential. In commenting on the Parable of Judges 9:8-15, Rev. Joe Morecraft states:

“When men with godly leadership abilities refuse to take upon themselves the yoke of political authority for the benefit of their friends, family and fellow patriots, then un-godly, misdirected, reckless, unproductive, and oppressive leaders will rush to the fountains of power.”

As God’s people we must be proactive. If Islam can declare, “Our Time Has Come”, how much more can the saints of the One True God declare, “For He, (Christ, not Mohammad), must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” 1 Corinthians 15:25

“Unless God is the source of all Law, including moral law, man and the state will be the source of law and of morality.” R.J. Rushdoony “Roots of Reconstruction” p. 573

As we’ve been discussing, the sad truth is that the lifestyles of many Christians are virtually identical to the lifestyles of our non-Christian neighbors. For example, we:
· Send our children to the same schools.
· Divorce our spouse as commonly as they do.
· Vote for conservative politicians, instead of Christian statesmen.
· Comply with ungodly political correctness rules.
· Etc., etc., etc.

While we may not be specifically taught to confine biblical ethics only to the inside of our homes and churches, neither are we being specifically taught how to apply them to our everyday situations! The esteemed Roman philosopher Cicero, writing in the century preceding the birth of Christ, stresses how important it is for a nation to live according to an explicit code of ethics. He warns that its one thing to defend yourself against an attacking army, but quite another to be aware of the slow and subversive invasion of those who change the meanings of the words by which your nation bases its values. If an opposing ethical philosophy can succeed in redefining the values of a nation, it has effectively replaced the original nation with a new and far different one, without firing a single bullet!

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body
politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.” Cicero

To understand how “rotten the soul of our nation has become,” we only have to scan through the following eight issues in the news to recognize that by keeping our biblical ethics confined to the inside of our homes and churches, we have allowed:

We must recognize that by ignoring God’s counsel we are ignoring the self-governing solutions we so desperately need. Those solutions have been mercifully revealed to us in God’s inerrant Word. Of primary importance to every Bible teacher at all levels is the duty of instructing our learners to ask:

? What is the biblical authority for the decision you are about to make?

This question is the fulcrum by which we will be able to direct our thinking and decision-making whenever we face a cultural solution proposed by either Christians or non-Christians.

Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network, Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one’s faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making. Mr. Hanson also sits on the Advisory Board of the New Geneva Christian Leadership Academy, located in Appomattox, Virginia. bhanson@graceandlaw.com 205.454.1442 http://www.graceandlaw.com

By God’s Grace, in only a few short weeks, on October 5th 2009, we will launch The New Geneva Christian Leadership Academy on-campus classes. In addition to the in-house courses, The New Geneva will also be teaching overseas in Burma, India, and Kenya along with many in the states via Internet correspondence and conference contact hours.

Each College level class is geared toward our overall mission of strategies and tactics for effects based results in the family, church and culture. Each course is packed with both resources, and challenging information in order to equip each student with the tools for dominion, both individually, and in concert with one another. Through class lectures and discussions those tools are then sharpened, and applied to the world at large. The New Geneva is all about Applied Leadership Directives.

This semester, The New Geneva will be offering a series of on-campus and correspondence studies in Theology, Constitutional and Biblical Law, Applied Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Journalism, and Constitutional Philosophy. Subject studies in Art, Music, Economics, and Applied Computer Science are slotted for the spring semester. Each on-campus student will have access to our extensive theological library of approximately 20,000 books, articles, MP3 files, and PDF files. IN addition to these resources, the library will also host an extensive DVD and audio library, along with computer access to thousands of Internet resource links.

The New Geneva Academy is also working with The Chalcedon Foundation to incorporate all its publications into the Geneva’s course studies for a more comprehensive, dominion-oriented education of applied theonomics.

God’s Word is a completely sufficient guide, indeed a perfect guide, for our daily walk. When we repent and ask Jesus to forgive us, we should not think that all the Christian life requires is to replace a few immoral behaviors with moral ones. There is no teaching in the Bible that even remotely resembles the idea that we can profess to be a member of God’s family and keep one foot in Christ’s Kingdom and the other foot in the world. While a person may not think that living according to his wisdom is keeping a foot in the world, that is nevertheless exactly what he is doing. Why else would Jesus command us to love Him with our “whole heart, soul, and mind”? cf Matthew 22:37

During the next few weeks we will review occasions in which God worked throughout history to deliver the members of His family from “people problems, pious priorities, personal issues, precarious places, and poisonous perspectives.” Unless you are a new Christian, many of these episodes will ring a familiar bell. Unfortunately, many fellow Christians have lost sight of them, which has resulted in our trusting more in ourselves, and our resources than in God and His resources.

Isn’t this the way we’re supposed to be living?

When you compare your lifestyle to that of your non-Christian neighbors, how different is it? If you were discussing a particular issue in your community, would someone say, “I knew Buddy would present an alternative solution, because he is a Christian,” or would no one know that you are a Christian because your daily lifestyle so closely resembles that of the non-Christians who are taking part in the discussion?

The “hellfire and brimstone” sermons have all but disappeared from American pulpits, as churches want to be more “seeker-oriented,” and not offend someone’s feelings. This is neither to suggest that we return to a dour tone of “repent or perish,” nor is it to suggest that there aren’t some faithful pastors who are doing an excellent job of accurately presenting God’s whole counsel on how we should live. However, we should remember that it was during those times when the explicit consequences of disobeying God were taught, that America was at its greatest. The operative words in the preceding sentence are “explicit consequences of disobeying God.”

While we can praise God that there are a few pastors who are being very careful to accurately present His whole counsel, we must recognize that there is a vast difference between accurately presenting a portion of Scripture and accurately teaching a portion of Scripture. In the former case, God’s Word is accurately presented, but in the latter case, His Word is not only accurately presented, but the positive consequences (for obeying it) and negative consequences (for disobeying it) are also made clear. In addition, the pastor carefully explains how to incorporate the truths of the message into the learners’ lifestyles. This does not necessarily mean that pastors should pound on the pulpit as my hero John Knox did in ancient Scotland, but it does mean that God’s will for how we should work, play, raise our children, self-govern ourselves, and worship Him should be made crystal clear.

Consider, for example, the kind of lifestyle a professing Christian could be expected to have who hasn’t had the opportunity to sit under such explicit biblical teaching: First, he would probably go with the flow of daily living, being pulled toward one religious fad, then another. Instead of thinking about how he can help bring about the crystal clear future God wants 3 by conforming his lifestyle to God’s inerrant counsel, he considers the future as something that is fuzzy and far off, not as something that is up close and personal.

This Needs to Change!

Second, his lifestyle would probably reflect a Little Picture view of life that is confined to his will, because he is unable to connect his everyday behaviors to God’s Big Picture view of how he should interact with non-Christians.

This Needs to Change!

Third, professing to be a Christian amounts to little more than identifying which religious clan (denomination) he belongs to, and since it’s a “religion,” he rarely connects its ethics to his “real life” daily decision-making.

This Needs to Change!

Fourth, whenever he feels the need to live-out his religion, he does so with a group of fellow Christians. For example, he participates in a short-term mission trip to build a school, or he takes part in aiding local storm victims. Rarely does he relate his individual behavior to biblical ethics. For the most part, the Christian life takes part in the church, or in a church-sponsored activity that reflects God’s will, while the remainder of his life is reserved for individual activities that reflect his will.

This Needs to Change!

NOTE Matthew 6.10

Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network, Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one’s faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making. Mr. Hanson also sits on the Advisory Board of the New Geneva Christian Leadership Academy, located in Appomattox, Virginia. bhanson@graceandlaw.com 205.454.1442 http://www.graceandlaw.com

Ge 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The Christian life is one of practical, lawful obedience to the Law-Word of God, exercised and exhibited in every sphere of life, and in every institution on the face of the earth. Lawless Christianity is a contradiction of terms, as is inactive and slothful Christianity. Monastic, dualistic and pietistic religion is not Biblical Christianity. The regenerate soul is Divinely and Sovereignty summoned to ‘take dominion’ under God unto all righteousness in order to restore God’s Law -Order to the societal structure of mankind. This requires both a lawful knowledge of Biblical law, and a spirit of courageous devotion. Man is summoned to create the society God requires.

This Blog site is unique in that it is a call to action. It will be a venue where Biblical scholarship is turned into real action, set forth in the world among the people, for the express purpose of fulfilling the Cultural Mandate of Genesis 1:26-28. It is a Strategic and Tactical Blog Site. It will deal with practical directives on the “How To Advance the Kingdom of Christ, on earth, in time and in History”. It will cut to the chase and make no apologies for the direction to which it points. The articles posted here will seek to apply Doctrine to Life so that in every sphere of life Christ is honored, and His Law obeyed, so as to Advance the Crown Rights of His Majesty’s Kingly authority.

The word ‘strategy’ comes from the word ‘strategem’ meaning to lead an army. The term specifically indicates a military-like plan for war, or a scheme for defeating an enemy. Thus, in the culture war in which we find ourselves, a war of religions, philosophical presuppositions and ideologies, the Christian needs a brilliant plan for action and victory against the enemy Secular Humanism, and all its comrades.

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Although our warfare is ideological, and therefore, must be waged according to this Biblical Rule, it is nevertheless to be executed in the affairs of men and nations. This Blog Site is not another exercise in Theological Headscratchings. We have too many of those sites already. It is a galvanizing tool. A tool to equip the saints in the application of God’s Law- Word. The True Christian is redeemed for one purpose – to recall men and nations to Covenantal obedience so as to submit to the Lordship of Christ.